


The Wheel (Is Turning Now)

by JayGraph0



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Action & Romance, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Burn, Tentacle Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-13 06:35:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17482997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayGraph0/pseuds/JayGraph0
Summary: He scrubs a thumb over the bandages covering his rib cage, mottled bruises still hiding underneath. The only evidence left that any of what the life foundation did happened, just the residual from his mangled body hitting the surface of the water. The only evidence left that venom was even alive.It’s not a pattern of thought he’d like to carry on with, so he doesn’t. Just drops his body from desk to sofa and closes his eyes.





	1. Chapter 1

LIFE FOUNDATION COLLAPSE SHAKES SAN FRANCISCO   
After the disappearance of CEO Carlton Drake, stockholders for the company announced an immediate liquidation, leaving almost 2000 employees redundant. This previously prosperous company has disappeared overnight, and the biggest question on our minds is why?   
 One popular theory is that the company was involved in human experimentation and torture, prompted by video evidence released recently. The rooms and scenery in the video match areas of the foundation, however no victims of the alleged experimentation have been found. Stockholders for the company dismissed the claims as “ridiculous”. Most people have attributed the shocking scenes of this video as being photoshopped.   
  
  
  
 Eddie turns away from the computer, sighing pensively. After weeks of trying and failing to find anyone reporting on what really happened, he just feels tired. If tired was synonymous with drowning in horrible existential dread.  
  
 Scrunching his nose and sighing, he starts to undress to sleep. The apartment is the same as before, small and barren. The cleanup job he’s managed was effective, leaving only bullet holes and gouges in the plaster from the fight before. Not that it matters, the landlord was always going to bleed him dry over this piece of shit apartment anyway.   
  
 He scrubs a thumb over the bandages covering his rib cage, mottled bruises still hiding underneath. The only evidence left that any of what the life foundation did happened, just the residual from his mangled body hitting the surface of the water. The only evidence left that venom was even alive.   
  
 It’s not a pattern of thought he’d like to carry on with, so he doesn’t. Just drops his body from desk to sofa and closes his eyes.   
  
—  
  
  
14:23 Annie: Hey, I haven’t heard from you in awhile, call me when you get this?  
 He grimaces, dropping his phone on the sofa, rising to shower. It’s over and done with quickly, avoiding looking at himself too long. He wasted enough time doing nothing, he probably needs to think about doing some work soon.   
  
 This takes him to his computer again, not that this choice of location is surprising. He’s received job offers after everything, but the thought of taking them is acrid and bitter. After everything that’s happened it’s the least he can do to choose which stories he’s going to follow, and not which stories will make some asshole more money. Yeah, freelance journalism is the only true justice in this world.   
  
 He doesn’t have any leads right now, so he carries on looking at the foundation, sniffing for any loose end he can pull out from under them. There’s nothing, not a single one of them will even have to glimpse at a prison, and they’ll still have enough money to pay someone else to do it for them. He looks up the investors, what they’re doing now, what other businesses they’re involved in, all pointless piles of dead ends.   
Eventually he lands on Dora Skirths old Facebook page. She isn’t in the profile photo, it’s the silhouette of two children playing on a beach. Her feed is full of family members and friends saying she’s missing, begging for any information. He wonders if commenting is the best way to break it to them that she’s probably rotting in a dumpster right now.   
  
 Someone knocks on his door, prompting him to open, the intention of most door knocking. “Coming” he shouts, scrambling to dress himself. The second the door is open Anne steps inside, surveying the mess. “Why didn’t you text me back Eddie?”  
 “Slipped my mind, been real busy” he smirks, moving to let her further inspect his home “any reason you came down here drill sergeant?”   
  
 “I get worried when you don’t respond for six hours asshole” she says, eyebrows furrowing  
  
 Eddie grabs his phone, checking the homescreen. “It hasn’t been si- oh” old message notifications pop up on the screen   
  
20:42 Annie: Im starting to worry, im coming over now  
20:44 Annie: I would recommend being there or the thing I just said wouldn’t be true   
  
 “Sorry, I didn’t- I, I just lost track of time”   
  
  Smiling sadly, she wraps an arm around his shoulder. “Well I’m here now. Show me some of this work you’ve been doing” steering him to the sofa, she sits them both down.   
  
 “Okay well maybe work isn’t the best thing to talk about right now.”  
  
 “You’ve been here all day you’ve got to have found something”   
  
 Averting his eyes, he sighs “I need to finish everything on the life foundation, but theres nothing to finish. They got rid of everything. The investors have to have known something, and they didn’t do anything. The same year Carlton Drake drags fuck knows how many people into their fucking murder dungeon Francis Bryan bought a third holiday home.” Voice wavering, he carries on “They’re all fucking dead and he’s never gonna pay for it, none of them will.”   
  
 “Oh sweetheart” the words are honest and visceral, sounding torn from her throat. “I know it’s not fair but there’s nothing left for you to do.” Moving, she clasps eddies hand in both of hers “sometimes they just get away with it and there’s nothing you can do”   
  
 “That’s bullshit” he’s angry but it’s flat, pathetic, like damp cardboard. “Maybe you can let that shit go, but I, I’ve got to- I’m-“ he drops off, shoulders sagging inward.   
  
 “I think you should stop this research for a little bit” she says softly “Just try and find another case, do something else first. It’s not like the case is going anywhere. Okay?”   
  
  They both sit in silence, still clasping his limp hand.  
  
—  
  
  
 After that Anne wants him to check in with Dan. They’ve done this many times in the past few weeks, like having an alien in his body one time will leave him vulnerable to dropping dead. But he doesn’t mind Dan and it stops Anne worrying, so he’ll sit through atleast another three pointless checkups.   
  
 On the stairway he makes eye contact with a woman. She looks spry, wrestling two cardboard box up the stairs. “Hey need a hand” he offers, smiling. She looks him up and down then nods, satisfied “Yeah, if it isn’t trouble”   
  
  “So you moving in here?” He steps back to let her take the lead.   
 “Nah, I’m bunking with a friend, gotta be down here for awhile” she says, continuing up the flights of stairs.   
  
 “Sounds fun.” They reach a door that been left ajar, where she drops her box on the floor and reaches for Eddies.   
  
 “Thanks for the help, maybe I’ll see you round neighbour” she smiles at him.   
  
 “I look forward to it”   
  
 Its a brief interruption, but still long enough to have him late to Dans practice. Fuck being a Good Samaritan he guesses, but Dan just waves it off, gesturing for him to sit down.   
  
 “So, any strange aches or pains you’ve noticed”   
  
 “Nope, healthy as a horse. I don’t really get why you’re wasting your time on this”   
 Dan shrugs and moves his fingers to Eddies wrist, checking the pulse “As healthy as a horse that had an alien in it. Don’t worry, It’d be much more time consuming if you died”   
  
 “I don’t plan on dying any time soon”   
  
 “Can’t be too cautious. Besides this is the closest anyone’s ever gotten to extra terrestrial life, how could anyone not want to explore this?”   
  
 Eddie scrapes the tip of his shoe against the floor, averting his gaze “The extra terrestrial part is gone.”   
  
 Dan drops his wrist abruptly “I’m sorry- I wasn’t thinking about th-“ he shakes his head “sorry. Do you mind if we move onto bloods?”   
  
 “Sure” he says, as Dan pulls open a drawer, removing a single needle.   
  
 “You’re heart rate is pretty slow, but that’s generally pretty healthy” moving softly, Dan places the needle against his arm. “So what have you been doing job wise?” He asks, while Eddie flinches at the initial sting of the needle.   
  
  “Freelancing” he says through gritted teeth “Though right now that’s just Unemployment with a fancy title slapped on”   
  
  “How come?”  
  
 “I don’t know, there’s just no stories poking out at me”   
  
  Dan chews the tips of his tongue, moving to grab another needle “Writers block huh? How’d you deal with it when you were on the Brock report?”  
  
 “Did you ever watch that?” Eddie asks, eyebrows scrunching.   
  
 “I’ve seen a few episodes”   
  
 “What did you think”   
  
  “I liked it” Dan disposes of the needle and motions for Eddie to turn around, then begins poking his back, observing the skin and muscle. “It was... different”   
  
 “Wow guess I can’t expect you to join the fanclub” he snorts  
  
 Dan smiles and shakes his head fondly “I mean it. It’s refreshing to see someone get so angry about companies dumping radioactive waste in rivers.” He moves his hand to Eddies arms, still poking “You could tell there was no teleprompter, but it worked.”  
  
 “Thanks I guess.” He says, rubbing his neck “I don’t know. I like writing but it just feels kinda pointless. It’s just dressing up my opinion and selling it to other people. It just seems like a waste of ink right now.”   
  
 Dan frowns, ceasing his poking. The rest of the check up passes normally, or as normal as it can be in this situation. He gets weighed and measured and x-rayed and prodded to the doctors content. By the end all Dan has to say is that he lost weight, but that’s normal for people going through trauma. He also recommends a psychiatrist. Eddie takes it, knowing he won’t bring himself to actually call but figuring the card could be good for gum spitting or other unexpected messes.   
  
—  
  
  
 His life right now isn’t what he expected, but it’s something. There’s a job and a house and some friends, healthy body with working limbs and that seems like more than enough to fill half of a glass. But there’s still an awful feeling under the surface, he tries not to think about or name because he doesn’t want  to make this awful thing tangible.   
  
 So when he gets too miserable, and the furniture and his things all melt away leaving those four staunch walls, he goes walking. It’s nothing fun or exciting, just pacing down the street for half an hour until he can breathe easier.   
  
 It’s nice, makes him feel like a person again when people smile, make small talk. Pacing back home he considers getting a dog. He could use the company, he thinks climbing the stairs of the apartment building. He’d like something big, a German shepherd or a husky, but they couldn’t really squeeze into the apartment. Something small maybe, he thinks fumbling for the key, he had a room mate in college that loved Pomeranians, tiny and yappy and fierce. He’s drawn away from this train of thought by the realisation that he doesn’t need his key, because the door is open.   
  
 He refuses to let himself panic immediately, because it’s just as likely he left his door open himself and he doesn’t need to humiliate himself freaking out about it. But he’s always been vigilant with that kind of thing, reported on too many murders and thefts and rapes to tempt fate like that. “Hello?” He calls into the quiet of his apartment. The lights are off, his furniture carving dark figures in the room.   
  
 It looks normal, and quiet and still. He starts moving to turn the lights on, when something grabs him. Smacking into the wall knocks the air out of him. Panics floods him, lashing his hands out, trying to put any distance between him and his attacker. But it’s not working, their holding him against the wall, hands coming closer and closer to his neck, he needs to fucking scream, now-   
  
 Then his assailants drops like a stone, leaving the ghost of their hands along his collar bone. Eddie gasps, falling to his knees next to them. He fails to notice the dark tendrils sinking into his skin while he gulps for breathe, but it would be difficult to miss the voice ringing through his head.   
**  
“Hello Eddie”**


	2. Chapter 2

“Venom?” He brings his hands to his neck, trailing his nails down the skin “What? Are you actually here?”

  
  **“Obviously I’m here”**

  
 Pulling his hair with his hands, Eddie tries to breathe slowly “Where the fuck have you been? I thought you fucking died you asshole.” He places his hands on the person venom used to get here, turning them so he can look at their face. It’s the neighbour he helps move in. “Jesus Christ why were you using her as a host?”

  
**“I had to get here somehow Eddie, it’s not like you were going to come get me”**

  
 “I tried!” He exclaims, hot panic settling in “I looked, I looked on the beach, there was nothing fucking there! I-I really thought you were dead”

  
  **“Why are you crying?”**

  
 “Im-“ he lifts his hand to his face, finding it damp. “Why did you break into my house and try to strangle me?”

  
  **“No one strangled you, I just wanted to scare you. We didn’t think that you would react like this”**

  
 “What the fuck” he whines, voice breaking. Familiar darkness flows from his skin, covering his hand. Venom directs it to the narrow column of his throat, gently petting it. “Jesus Christ”

  
  **“Are you okay”**

  
 “I’m not having the best week I’ll be honest” he scrubs the tears away with his free hand while venoms keeps up the awkward petting “We probably need to deal with the person on the floor huh?”

  
  **“Eventually yes”**

  
 “Did- please tell me you didn’t eat them”

  
  **“No, they were just around”**

  
 “So they’re gonna be okay?”

  
**“Yes”**

  
 “Ookay” he huffs a breathe “I can deal with this- We can deal with this. We’ve gotta get them out of the apartment”

  
  **“Yes, we can do that”**

  
 “Is she gonna remember all the body snatching?”

  
**“No, that would be sloppy”**

  
 “Fantastic, that is fan-fucking-tastic” he falls back on his heels, breathing shakily “Well you can carry her out then” 

 

  
    
 They deliberate for awhile on the least suspicious place to leave an unconscious woman’s body while also leaving her relatively safe. Ultimately safety beats practicality, and they pick the lock to her apartment door, leaving her inside. If she maintains any memories of her small scale alien invasion it’s not like she can confront them about it without seeming psychotic.

  
 “Ok that was very immoral.” Eddie says into the quiet of his hallway. “If we want this to work we should probably avoid any more of that.”

  
**“Fine.”**

  
 “So, uh, you hungry because I’m fucking starving”

  
  **“We’re always hungry Eddie”**

  
 Eddie gives a small, awkward cough.  “What do you want to eat”

  
**“Something big, and alive. Bovine or poultry seem like something we could enjoy”**

  
 “Okay well it’s two in the morning so we’re gonna need to compromise on that for now.” He starts walking to his motorcycle, absentmindedly checking his back pocket for his keys “We can probably get a chicken pretty quick. Gonna have to be dead though”

  
 The ride to the closest store that’s open 24 hours is silent and uneventful. He’s relieved that Venoms alive, and that he’s back but it’s not a situation he understands how to deal with. Maybe once they get through it he should write a guide book on fixing things with the alien living inside your body after thinking it died. Though that could be pretty time consuming, a WikiHow page would probably be faster.

  
 He’s at least able to drag venom out of the store with their ready to eat chicken. The second their out the door he’s digging his fingers in, his fingers gliding through greasy film as he pulls chunks of the meat to his mouth. Eddie looks around cautiously, checking the street is empty before letting venom bring the carcass to their mouth, using their teeth to continue desecrating the creature.

  
 “Venom you’re fucking disgusting”

  
  **“I’m not the only one who’s hungry Eddie.”** They both pause to carry on mashing the meat into their face **“You have grease dribbling down your chin”**

  
 “Eugh” Eddie glances around the street, relieved to find it empty. At least there’s no audience for this. “You fucking finish the thing then”

  
 Venom manifests a head, making quick work of what’s left of the chicken. **“Why would they make the chicken ready to be eaten if you need to take it home first? We should avoid eating stupid, contradictory meats in future”**

  
 “Yeah that’s fine with me” Eddie pulls his phone from his pocket, continuing to walk to his vehicle. “We probably need to find some real food soon huh? We could try a butchers, but we’ll probably need a good excuse for wanting animal brains”

  
**“We’re bored Eddie”** Venom manoeuvres his legs, pushing them to where they left his motorcycle **“You are too. We will need real food”**

  
 “I don’t find food all that stimulating I’ll be honest”

  
  **“You aren’t understanding”**

  
 “Can we understand each other later, I’m feeling very gross.”

  
 He feels Venom give an irritated huff under his skin, but the symbiote doesn’t respond. They stay silent for the ride home. He wonders if Venom feels as blind as he does, guessing his way around an awkward, awkward minefield. Well the food helped for a little bit, gave them something to talk about.

  
 The door is still open when they get home, this time from their own idiocy motivated by blind hunger. Either way he’s a lot more confident to open it and risk a fight with any hypothetical attackers with venom on his side.

  
  **“Why does your house look like this”** Venom asks, glancing around the room. There are piles of his clothes strewn across the living room, nestled in between coffee cups with dark stains at the centre. The smell is unique but less than pleasant.

  
 “I’m having a bad week” he replies, moving to crack open a window.

  
  **“No, you are pathetic”** he sprouts a tendril to begin moving the mess of Eddies clothes to a hamper **“It is no wonder you seem sad when you live in the home of a sad loser”**

  
 “When did you start having opinions on interior design?”

  
  **“There is no design here, only sweat and filth.”**

  
 “Well if you think you can get better the doors wide open”

  
  **“We do not mean it like that. This is just proof that we were meant to come back here.”** He says, continuing to sort through the mess **“We both function better as a team, so stop being sad”**

  
 “Oh” he feels a bit floored at the unexpected pep talk, moving to sit on the sofa “Um. Thanks I guess. Uh, I forgot to ask, what were you doing before you got here.”

  
  **“Nothing interesting. We waited for you, then we ate some fish. Then we moved on to eating progressively bigger things until we were able to eat humans again. It was boring and tiring”**

  
 “Oh” He scrubs his thumbs together, ticking nervously. “I did miss you, by the way. You can probably tell but I didn’t have the best time of it”

  
  **“That’s good, we don’t plan on leaving”** he says, a tendril splitting from his thumb to run between his fingers. **“Let’s stop being sad Eddie”**

  
 “Wish it were that simple Bud”

  
**“Finish cleaning, then shower your sweaty meat suit. We will feel better after.”**

 

  
  
 Later, after he’s cleaned himself and slept, he does feel marginally better. The apartment is better, but Venoms definition of clean doesn’t match up with the average persons. He gets the basic rules, like keep the countertop clean but doesn’t understand not to put surface cleaner in the plate cupboard. But better is better, irregardless of how better.  

  
 “So do we have a plan?” He asks, stirring his coffee. It’s mid morning, and they have the whole day ahead of them.

  
  **“No we need to find one”**

  
 “Okay I don’t think we can check the lost and found box for something to do with our lives”

  
 Venom makes his finger twitch, letting coffee splash over the side of the mug. **“Don’t be dumb”** he moves Eddies free hand to their pocket, pulling their phone free. **“You want to write stories and I want to eat. Let’s find someone”**

  
 “Oh” he says, watching passively as venom swipes to the news, scrolling through various articles “I’m not sure we’re ready for that tiger. We didn’t even finish everything with the life foundation yet, we can’t just start something else”

  
**“We dropped Riot and drakes burning bodies into the sea. It was quite conclusive''.**

  
 “They were just the crazies at the front of the whole thing, what about all the sickos behind the curtain we let get away”

  
  **“There’s nothing else for us to do there Eddie”** Venom lifts the phone to his eyes, flashing him the screen **“We can start small, find this man. Then move on to bigger meals”**

  
 The article is on a series of sexual and physical assaults, and two murders. The police are assuming there’s at least five victims, and they’re likely perpetrated by the same man or group. The physical descriptions from the victims are generic, but a stakeout could resolve that issue lickity split.

  
 “I don’t know if we’re ready for this yet buddy”

  
**“Don’t be a pussy”**

  
 “... Fine, we’ll look at it. But if this turns into some government conspiracy, or alien invasion we’re going home early.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all the commenters on the last chapter, I'm having fun writing it and I hope you all like reading it


End file.
